Too Much Emphasis on Credentials?

Something that really bothers me about society today is its emphasis on having the correct credentials as a requirement for employment. We push and push and push for people to go to college to get that college degree and then go on to graduate school if you want to do more. Particular trades also require certificates before someone can be employed. This may sound acceptable in terms of protecting the consumer and ensuring that for example, the person working on your car has some general clue about how to fix your car, however, there is a problem with this. Not everyone can afford to acquire the appropriate credentials. Additionally, not everyone is suited for college. There is no shame in pursuing your dream and not attending college although in terms of the media machine in US society, that is the path to poverty. The fact is that there are many people with college degrees and even graduate degrees who are homeless and/or living below the poverty line. Student loan debt, lack of opportunity, outsourcing, changing technology, etc. have led to a large group of individuals who are over-educated and under-employed or even unemployed. Employers are able to be very selective about who they hire and for how long. Employers may weed out those with too much education so that they can hire someone at a cheaper wage because with all of that education comes the accompanying debt and desire for higher salary. Therefore, individuals who are considered over-qualified are just as likely as those who are considered under-qualified to be hired, and that likelihood is low. Temporary positions are created to set up the framework for employees in other countries to perform the work on a more long-term basis for a much cheaper wage. And that pulls me back to the notion of credentials. One of the difficult aspects of people who are displaced from their homes and neighborhoods due to natural and man-made disasters (super storms, hurricanes, war) may have had gainful employment along a sliding scale among neighbors but now, in a new setting cannot get the job because they do not have the appropriate certification. But this is not only the plight of the displaced, it is a growing problem for our returning veterans. We are finding that veterans who have been trained to serve as medics, helicopter pilots, mechanics, etc. are required to go through schooling about things they already know in order to attain the piece of paper saying they are certified and thus employable outside of the military. That is a ridiculous waste of time and resources. Yes, it is profitable for schools, but at what price is this profit? If our veterans are unable to afford further schooling or if such certification programs are not available in the area, what opportunities do they have? [The Daily Show had a segment regarding the specific issue of employing veterans on October 24, 2012, http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-october-24-2012/exclusive—economic-reintegration-for-veterans ]

For those who know me and follow me on Twitter in particular are well aware that I am a passionate supporter of our troops and veterans. I admire those who bravely served our country, sacrificing their own physical safety, emotional well-being, and family connections to do what too many of us are unwilling or unable to do. And that is why I become enraged when I see the statistics about homeless veterans, veterans living in poverty, unemployed veterans, etc. We ask these amazing men and women to offer the ultimate sacrifice and if they are fortunate enough to return from conflict, we turn our backs on them? Why should businesses be celebrated for offering jobs to veterans when that should be something that goes without question? Being a veteran should not be a reason NOT to hire someone, yet in reality it is. So much negative attention is placed on our military from the various scandals to emphasis on violent manifestations of PTSD. We rarely celebrate the heroes, those who risk their lives for their fellow soldiers and have made it home. So why is it that someone who was trained in the military and served as a medic in Iraq is considered to be not qualified to serve as a paramedic in the US? It is all due to a piece of paper, a piece of paper that society has determined to have weight above and beyond the actual knowledge, skills, and abilities of the individual.

We need to bring this nonsense to an end. We need to evaluate people based on their actual attributes and abilities and not on whether or not they were able to get a degree or complete a certification program. We need to make sure that employers actually take the time to properly train new employees. That makes a huge difference not only in employee satisfaction but in productivity and thus, profitability (to speak to the for-profit camp). This is not a new or revolutionary idea. It is common sense.